My keto jalapeño cheddar bacon cornbread is a savory, cheesy low-carb cornbread packed with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and just the right amount of jalapeño flavor.
Made with almond flour instead of cornmeal, this easy keto cornbread is also gluten-free and has the tender texture and lightly crisp edges you expect from traditional skillet cornbread.
What really makes this version special is the combination of fresh and pickled jalapeños. The fresh jalapeño adds a little heat, while the pickled jalapeños add a slightly tangy flavor that pairs beautifully with the cheddar and smoky bacon.
Bake it in a preheated cast-iron skillet for those delicious golden edges, then serve it alongside chili, soup, barbecue, or your favorite Tex-Mex meal.
If you love low-carb cornbread, be sure to explore my entire collection of keto cornbread recipes, including my classic keto cornbread made with almond flour.
Why You'll Love This Keto Jalapeño Cornbread
There is a lot going on in this keto jalapeño cornbread, and that's exactly what makes it so good.
The sharp cheddar melts throughout the bread, crispy bacon gives every slice plenty of savory flavor, and the combination of fresh and pickled jalapeños adds both heat and tanginess.
Because there is no cornmeal or wheat flour, you can enjoy the flavors of bacon cheddar jalapeño cornbread while keeping it low in carbs and gluten-free.
I especially love making it in a cast-iron skillet. Preheating the skillet before adding the batter helps create those crisp, golden edges that make skillet cornbread so delicious.
Ingredients Needed
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You only need a handful of keto baking ingredients plus plenty of flavorful additions:
The full measurements and instructions are included in the printable recipe card below.
- Almond meal or almond flour
- Baking powder
- Sweet corn extract
- Eggs
- Heavy whipping cream
- Sour cream
- Butter
- Raw and pickled jalapeños
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cooked bacon
Fresh And Pickled Jalapeños Add More Flavor
One of the things that makes this bacon cheddar jalapeño cornbread different is that I use both fresh and pickled jalapeños.
Pickled jalapeños provide a slightly tangy flavor that works especially well with sharp cheddar and bacon. Fresh jalapeño gives the cornbread that recognizable jalapeño flavor and a little additional heat.
You can also control the spice level fairly easily. Removing the seeds and membranes from the fresh jalapeño will keep the heat milder. If your family enjoys spicy cornbread, leave some of the membrane intact or add a few extra jalapeño slices to the top.
How To Make Keto Jalapeño Cheddar Bacon Cornbread
Start by cooking the bacon until crisp. Crumble it and reserve some of the bacon grease for the cast-iron skillet.
Combine the almond flour or almond meal with the baking powder, salt, black pepper, and optional sweetener. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream, sour cream, and optional corn extract.
Stir the wet and dry ingredients together, then add the melted butter. Fold in the bacon, chopped jalapeños, and part of the shredded cheddar cheese.
Meanwhile, preheat the cast-iron skillet in the oven. Carefully remove the hot skillet, grease it with the reserved bacon fat, and add the batter.
Top with the remaining cheddar and fresh jalapeño slices before baking until the cornbread is cooked through and beautifully golden.
Why Preheat The Cast-Iron Skillet?
I highly recommend using a cast-iron skillet for this keto cornbread. Preheating the skillet before adding the batter immediately exposes the bottom and edges of the cornbread to a hot surface, helping create a more pronounced crust.
If you do not have a cast-iron skillet, you can also make the recipe in a 9-inch cake pan or an 8x8-inch baking pan. Keep an eye on the cornbread toward the end of baking since a different pan may affect how quickly it cooks.
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Is corn extract necessary
Corn extract is completely optional.
Since there is no actual corn or cornmeal in this keto cornbread, a few drops of corn extract can help give it a more traditional cornbread flavor.
The bacon, cheddar, jalapeños, butter, and other ingredients provide plenty of flavor on their own, so you can certainly leave the extract out.
If you really miss the flavor of traditional cornbread, however, you may find that the extract makes the flavor even more convincing.
What To Serve With Keto Jalapeño Cornbread
This savory keto cornbread is especially good served alongside a bowl of my Easy Keto Chili. The spicy jalapeños, cheddar, and bacon are a natural match for bold Tex-Mex chili.
It would also pair beautifully with my Keto White Chicken Chili or Keto Chicken Chili.
How To Store Keto Jalapeño Cornbread
Store leftover jalapeño cheddar bacon cornbread covered in the refrigerator for up to five days or freeze for up to three weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. This recipe can be made with either almond meal or almond flour. Almond meal will give the bread a slightly more rustic texture, while finely milled almond flour produces a somewhat finer crumb.
Coconut flour does not swap 1:1 with almond flour so instead I recommend use my keto cornbread (coconut flour) as the base for this recipe.
Yes. Although I prefer a cast-iron skillet because of the crust it produces, you can use a 9-inch cake pan or an 8x8-inch baking pan. Watch the bread closely toward the end of baking since the baking time may vary slightly.
Absolutely. Remove the seeds and membranes from the fresh jalapeño and use mild pickled jalapeños. You can also reduce the amount of jalapeño topping.
Not this recipe. Instead of cornmeal, it uses almond flour or almond meal to keep the carb count much lower while still giving you a cornbread-style texture.
No. The corn extract is optional. It simply adds another layer of familiar cornbread flavor.
Tag Us
I sure hope you will give this keto-friendly jalapeño cornbread recipe a try. Once you do, make sure you remember to tag us on Instagram and Facebook. It's what keeps this girl encouraged to keep sharing and perfecting her recipes.
If you want a similar taste profile, you might also want to try our keto Mexican coconut flour cornbread muffins.
I encourage you to visit our complete list of keto bread recipes for more delicious options.
Also, check out our Amazon Store for our recommendations. You might be surprised by how many great keto options are at your disposal.
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Keto Jalapeño Cheddar Bacon Cornbread (Gluten-Free)
An easy keto jalapeño cheddar bacon cornbread recipe that will fool your taste buds. It uses almond flour instead of cornmeal which keeps it low in carbs and keto friendly and packed with the flavors of cheese, bacon and jalapenos. It's a keto Tex-Mex cornbread!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of almond meal
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 4 eggs, room temperature beaten
- 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup of full-fat sour cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar substitute (optional)
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon of black ground pepper
- 6 drops corn extract, optional
- 6 slices of bacon cooked, crumbled
- One tablespoon of reserved bacon grease to grease the cast iron skillet.
- 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese (½ cup goes into the batter ½ cup reserved for the top of the bread before baking.
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeños roughly chopped.
- 1 whole fresh jalapeño, divided: finely chop ½ jalapeño for the batter and thinly slice the remaining ½ for the topping.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook the bacon until crisp. Once cooked, crumble the bacon and set aside. Reserve a tablespoon of the bacon fat to grease the cast-iron skillet.
- Finely chop ½ fresh jalapeño that has been deveined.
- Slice the other half of the fresh jalapeno into thin ring slices and add them to the top of the cornbread before baking.
- In a medium bowl, combine the almond meal, salt, ground black pepper, baking powder, and sweetener, if desired. Set aside.
- Combine the heavy cream, sour cream, and eggs in a medium bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined. If you are adding the corn extract, do so here.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and gently stir till fully incorporated.
- Next, add the melted butter and stir till mixed well.
- Fold in half of the shredded cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, finely chopped jalapeños, and chopped pickled jalapeños.
- Place your empty cast-iron skillet into the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the hot cast-iron skillet and add one tablespoon of reserved bacon fat to the preheated skillet.
- Add the cornbread batter to the hot skillet.
- Sprinkle the cornbread with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese and slices of jalapeños.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
- Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 405Total Fat: 39.,6gSaturated Fat: 19.5gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 180mgCarbohydrates: 5.9gNet Carbohydrates: 3.5gFiber: 2.4gSugar: 1gProtein: 8.6g
Vickie says
This looks Fab, even to this Southern girl! Can't wait to try?
Blessings Y'all ??❤️ I'm gonna go find you on FB now??
Hilda Solares says
Wonderful Vickie! Hope to see you in FB
Cindy Speir says
Oh my word!!!! I have wanted cornbread since starting Keto in March 2019 but didn't know where to start. You knocked it out of the park with this delicious recipe. I put all my cheese in the batter and it was yummy. Note: Recipe does not list amount of black pepper nor pickled jalapenos but I just guessed. Next time I will add more because I LOVE spicy.
Hilda Solares says
Glad you enjoyed the cornbread Cindy. Will make sure to update to recipe to add what I forget to mention. Thanks for making me aware.
CHARLA STROTHER says
Was wondering if you could add extra fiber that would bring the carb count down? Can't wait to try. Thanks for the wonderful recipes. Corn tortillas?
Hilda Solares says
Hi Charla, I've not tried adding extra fiber to this recipe. If what you are hoping for is a high fiber option I recommend you try our Keto high fiber bread instead.